Daydreams And Nightshade (DaN #1)

Chapter 64: That's a moray

How was she supposed to process any of it?

Luna's eyes darted in all kinds of directions. First at Shyen who was aiming his gun at the small mara that'd just appeared in the ceiling, then Noah who'd grabbed a hold of it, and finally Livia and one of the pirates they'd been looking for who were both boosting Noah.

They'd all come out of nowhere. She'd been stuck in a nightmare version of the Home of withered lights where everything had gone to Waste, and then all of a sudden the nightmare Shyen had been punched by the probably real Shyen, and now she was being rescued by the least violent of all people she knew.

Rescued... Again.

"Cover your ears, please," Shyen said to her, and Luna hurried to obey as he took a better aim.

At the same time as the sound of the gunshot, the nightmare room dissolved around them and they were back in the small bedroom Luna and Lucius had been in, with the new additions of Shyen, Noah and Livia.

And Gabriel.

"I'm sorry." Shyen let go of his pistol and kneeled down to hug her before she could open her mouth. "I don't—I wasn't there for everything but those things that nightmare said, I—I promise I'm glad I... 'Bothered' with you, you know? I wouldn't hide my emotions or keep secrets from you. You know me."

Luna smiled, but still couldn't shake the feeling. Surely he must've felt some of it? It wasn't wrong after all. She'd been useless in all those previous cases and she'd been a horrible person all those years. Shyen couldn't possibly have avoided hearing about it.

And now she'd been saved again. She hadn't done anything to get out of the situation herself.

"Let's talk more about it later, all right?" Shyen suggested before giving her a brief kiss and turning to look around, smile fading slightly as he did.

"So, uh... I don't suppose Derek's here then?" he asked without looking back, and Luna lowered her gaze.

She had to tell him.

"He—He got stuck," she whispered. "The... Courtyard turned into a marsh."

Shyen turned to look at her but she refused to meet his gaze.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't—"

"We'll get him back." Shyen squeezed her hand. "It's only been a while. He's handled worse."

Luna shook her head, daring to glance up at him briefly.

"It's not the same. This is his—His literal nightmare. Not just some casual torture."

"Well... Let's get a move on then." Shyen turned around towards the others. "How is he?"

Noah had sat down to check on Lucius' unconscious state, and Luna grimaced. As if everything else wasn't enough, now she had to explain how she'd knocked her own father out?

"Out, but probably fine." Noah turned around to look at his sister with a frown. "What happened?"

Luna sighed. Better to get it over with.

"See, Father's got a lot of baggage, and it uh... Started unpacking..."

She paused to try to formulate her explanation well, but as she couldn't find the words in her head Noah nodded slowly.

"It started unpacking and became too much, so you knocked him out before the mara could notice?"

"... Yeah." Luna would forever be jealous at Noah's ability to figure things out without all the details, but at least she didn't have to stutter her way through an explanation that way.